Registering your residence after you arrive in China

Every foreigner in China must register their place of residence with the local police station shortly after arriving, and again every time they move or re-enter the country. If you stay in a hotel, the hotel does this for you automatically. If you stay in an apartment, it is your responsibility.

The registration produces a slip of paper that you will be asked for repeatedly: when applying for your residence permit, when opening a bank account, and at various administrative offices afterwards. Not having it, or having one with an outdated address, will stop those procedures.

Take your passport with your entry stamp, your lease contract and your landlord's identity document to the police station covering your address. The registration itself is free and normally takes a few minutes.

Register again every time your situation changes: a new address, a new passport, or a return from any trip abroad. This last one catches people out most often — a re-entry restarts the clock even if you have lived at the same address for years.